But on this morning at Maryvale Baseball Park, Yost talked with MLB.com about the team's April 2 Opening Day matchup against the Dodgers, and its outlook for 2007.

MLB.com: Players sometimes have a hard time describing the adrenaline rush they feel on Opening Day. Is it the same for a manager?

Yost: A little bit. There's a certain excitement about Opening Day, and getting started on the right foot. I think it's probably the same for everybody, whether you're a player or a manager.

MLB.com: Do you get the same satisfaction out of a big win that you got as a player?

Yost: Absolutely. Probably more. They were always fun when you were a player, but I enjoy them more as a manager and I take the losses a lot worse. I don't know what it is.

MLB.com: Is there anything -- good or bad -- that has happened in Spring Training to change your opinion of your team?

Yost: No. I have what I thought we would have.

MLB.com: How do you feel about your bullpen right now?

Yost: I feel good about it. It's always been my experience that once the season starts, for some reason or another, things get righted. For some reason, spring seems to affect the bullpen guys more than the starters. I've seen that as far back as my days as the bullpen coach in Atlanta, that the relievers struggle the most in spring and then make the most dramatic improvements as the season starts. Maybe it has something to do with getting their routines in order.

MLB.com: Do you think you have the best starting pitching in the National League Central?

Yost: I don't think about it one way or the other. I like our starting pitching a lot, but I don't sit here smiling or grinning and thinking, 'Do we have the best?' I like what we have, and that's what I focus on.

MLB.com: The team you're facing on Opening Day -- the Dodgers -- also are high on their starting rotation.

Yost: Rightfully so.

MLB.com: Is that the most important thing when you build a team?

Yost: I think so. In order to be successful, you have to have very good starting pitching. The game revolves around your starters. If your starter has a good game, you're going to have a good game. If you're going to focus, you should focus on your starting pitching and defense.

MLB.com: You'll be up against Dodgers manager Grady Little in the opener. Can you tell us how far you go back?

Yost: We were managers together in the Braves system. We roomed together in Spring Training when we were Minor League managers and we've been close for a long time. He's a very smart guy. Very cunning. He kind of, like, lays in the weeds and then jumps up and gets you. He's a great baseball man.

MLB.com: Pitching coach Mike Maddux is fond of saying that Ben Sheets is important to this team only in the sense that he makes 20 percent of the starts. As your ace, isn't Sheets more important than that?

Yost: Absolutely not. But I do think he's done great this spring and I'm very excited to see what he is going to accomplish this summer. He is healthy. He could be one of the best pitchers in the National League. He can dominate. He can really get on a roll.

MLB.com: At this point in spring, are you ready for some real games?

Yost: Yeah. I'm anxious to get going. Excited is a better word -- I'm excited to get going.